


Other Pieces to the Puzzles

by Miaou Jones (miaoujones)



Category: Free!
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Jossed, M/M, Optimism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2157366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaoujones/pseuds/Miaou%20Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing has been decided but that's all right; no matter what's to come, it's going to be all right as long as you feel free.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Other Pieces to the Puzzles

**Author's Note:**

> Set some time after S02E07. Destined to be jossed; please read as alternate timeline when that happens. Written as friendship but feel free to read between the lines if that's how you roll.   
>  Title borrowed from lyrics to OneRepublic's "Au Revoir."

Usually Makoto would be here by now. Not that it's unheard of for him to be running late and maybe that's all it is this time… even so…

Just as Haru is thinking that, he hears Makoto's footsteps approaching the bathroom. He doesn't look up as the door slides open; he doesn't look up until Makoto says his name and holds out his hand.

Only, when Haru looks up this time, Makoto isn't holding out his hand. He takes another step forward but still his hand remains by his side, even as he turns and sits on the floor, leaning back against the tub.

He sits there without saying anything for so long that Haru thinks maybe he's not going to; maybe they're just going to sit here quietly.

And they do, for a while, until Makoto says without turning, "Your parents called my parents."

"Nothing has been decided," Haru says.

There's a pause so Haru knows Makoto has heard him but then Makoto goes on as if he hasn't. "They might want to sell your house."

"Nothing has been decided."

This time Makoto does turn. Haru doesn't know what expression he was expecting but somehow he wasn't expecting this, even though it's the most obvious of all: a smile.

Haru likes a smiling Makoto. He has his whole life or at least all of it that he can remember. But he does not like this smile. It's confusing. He reaches out and tries to smooth it away with his fingertip, leaving Makoto's mouth a straight line in its wake.

Makoto doesn't smile again. He still hasn't said anything, though, so Haru tries again: "Nothing—"

"Has been decided; I know."

Haru thinks maybe Makoto will smile again and he doesn't know what he'll do if that happens. But Makoto doesn't smile. He shifts to lean back against the tub again. 

He doesn't say anything and neither does Haru.

"I just want you to know it'll be okay," Makoto says after a while. "I know nothing has been decided yet." He glances over his shoulder to offer Haru a grin, then faces forward again. "But when it is, no matter what it is, it'll be okay—as long as it's what you really want. As long as you feel free, Haru, it'll be okay."

Haru stares at the back of Makoto's head. That smile Makoto had flashed just now, it had been too quick for Haru to really catch. Suddenly he wants one of Makoto's smiles, though, so he etches one on the back of Makoto's head with the same wet fingertip he'd used before.

Makoto is a good canvas; he doesn't move until Haru is done. Then he turns, brow arched, mouth opening to ask—

"I wish I had drawn more pictures of you," Haru says.

The arch of Makoto's brow settles. "You still can."

Makoto is the one who said it would be all right as long as Haru was doing the thing he wanted, whatever makes him feel free. So then: "I don't want to go to school today," Haru says.

"All right."

"I want to draw a picture of you."

"All right."

Haru waits for Makoto to stand up and hold out his hand. If it really is all right, that's what Makoto will do.

Makoto doesn't move, though.

So Haru stands up and steps out of the tub himself. When he looks at Makoto, still sitting on the floor, Makoto is smiling. It's a good smile. Haru doesn't know everything about this smile but he does know that.

He takes so long to look at this smile and memorize it that he misses the moment to hold out his hand to Makoto and help him up; by the time he realizes he could have done that, Makoto has gotten to his feet himself.

 

They go down to the shore but not into the water. They sit on the sand, looking at the ocean, listening to the waves, salt in their nostrils and the back of their throats, sun slanting across their faces. That's what Haru is doing; Makoto is sitting beside him and so he thinks that's what Makoto is doing too.

Then Haru takes out his sketchpad, moves to a place where he can properly see—not too far away, still so close—and begins to draw Makoto, looking at the water, the sun slanting across his face. Makoto's eyes go to him once, then he looks out to sea and is still as Haru sketches.

"Do you remember—" Makoto says some time later, still looking out to sea.

"Yes," Haru says, glancing up for reference, looking down at his hand moving the graphite over the paper.

Makoto laughs. Even without looking up, Haru knows he hasn't moved out of position, though. "You don't know what I was going to say."

"It doesn't matter," Haru says, still not looking up, trying to get the curve of this line right. "I remember everything."

Makoto is very quiet then. Haru is quiet too. The ocean fills the silence.

"Even if your house is sold," Makoto says and Haru glances up, follows Makoto's gaze out to the water. "Even so, you'll always have a home to come back to in Iwatobi."

Feeling the movement, Haru turns when Makoto does and their gazes meet.

"You always will, Haru. Because I'll be here."

Haru looks at him for a long time.

Makoto lets him.

"What if I don't ever come back?"

"That's all right too." Makoto smiles. "Because this is where I feel free."

As Makoto's words reach him, Haru feels himself smiling; and he feels other things too, deeper inside, things that won't reach the surface or at least not right now.

"Makoto~" It's the only word he can think to say right now, the only one he wants to.

Makoto smiles again, looks out to sea, the sun slanting across his face. Haru takes a moment to look at him, bows his head as his pencil begins to move across the paper again, etching a smile that wasn't there before but always will be now.


End file.
